This is the city: Los Angeles, California. I work here. I'm an ex-mayor. Los Angeles is a magnet for people from all over the world. Some of them run for public office. Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work. My name is Yorty. I'm a dead pol.

Monday, March 31, 2008

LAPD Report Calls Harley Davidsons Lemons

For nearly 30 years, LAPD purchased bikes from Kawasaki and found the relationship with the manufacturer to be "very rewarding in terms of technical support, low maintenance cost, vehicle reliability and officer safety."

In 2003 the Department became aware of a BMW model with anti-lock brakes. They tested several of the bikes but ultimately rejected the Bavarian cycles due to the company's unwillingness to allow the department to do in-house warranty work, saving the City time and money.

Shortly thereafter Kawasaki got out of the police bike business, leaving the LAPD with only two choices of manufacturers, Harley and Honda. Honda did not produce a bike with anti-lock brakes and BMW's bid was about $1500 per bike more than Harley, so the legendary American bike producer got the job.

The report cites that the Department has experienced "an abnormal number of repairs due to design deficiencies and poor workmanship in the initial assembly" of the Harley moto-cop bikes. The report further notes the situation was so bad that in 2007 that all of the Harleys had to be taken out of service for a time for inspection and repairs "to ensure officer safety." One of the chief problems are the brake lines on the bike. According to the LAPD, the brake lines were not secured properly to the motorcycle causing them to move, vibrate and rub up against one another or other parts of the bike. Harley's supplier network was not able to provide replacement parts quickly enough, eventually leading to several meetings between the LAPD and Harley Davidson. The LAPD claims that Harley has yet to develop a "permanent solution" to the problem.

A laundry list of other maintenance issues with the bikes include premature starter failure, breaking shift linkages, exhaust pipes falling off and assorted electrical problems.

The Department reports that even when Harley had addressed specific problems, the fix or the parts were slow in coming, leading to excessive downtime for much of the fleet. The Department says in the report that Harley blamed some engine failures on LAPD using the wrong type of motor oil; yet Harley did not recommend what type of oil should be used.

The report summarizes the various causes for downtime for LAPD motorcycle units as well as the increases in repair costs due to the alleged Harley deficiencies.

The next step will be up to the Police Commission and the City Council. Let's hope they give it the full attention it needs.

Even though that's old news, it's unresolved new. So between the guns not as good as the criminals, the radios don't work (not fun when you are surrounded and need to call in for backup) and motorcycle safety problems, why not just require all LAPD to wear blindfolds and their own handcuffs, as well.

Should have gone with the Honda's, bike riders that forego the Harley mystique and all the "tradition" and baloney that goes along with it (including the old "rice burner" buy USA stuff) know that the Honda's, have always been a superior (and usually cheaper) bike for at least 30 years.

Harley, in York, PA, was using the motorcycle manufacturing equipment to make 50MM shell casings for the military in Iraq. The Harley manufacturing equipment has a "quick turnover adaptor" to build motorcycle parts or shell casings on the second or third shifts. Whenever you "adapt" something, you lose value on the original. Its a shame that Harley could not continue to make an "American" product with quality.

There have been many articles about how poorly Harley's perform. I had no idea the city was using them as police bikes. I remember the article in the Times maybe seven years ago comparing the kawa to the bmw to the HD. HD was noted as too expensive, more maintenance issues and just plain not as good as the other two models. I would have definitely taken Honda over Harley as a work bike. HDs nowadays are just for weekend cruising or maybe some parade or funeral work.

Great Story, this reminds me of when my father used to take me to Dodger games on the back of his Harley Davidson chopper. The Dodger Fans thought we were "Hell-Angels" lol, I always loved the sound of the V-Twins engines, and it is unlike that of the rice-burning Japanese bikes. Ah yes, the name of Harley Davidson is synonymous with Americana and such icons as the movie Easy Rider and Electra Guide in Blue.

I know own the very Harley Davidson Electra Guide used in the movie “Electra Guide in Blue” the bike ridden by Robert Blake in the movie. Back in May 1999 I was eating at an Italian restaurant in Studio City, when in walks Robert Blake. I happened to be riding my Harley Davidson Electra Guide from the Robert Blake's movie. When I told Robert Blake the bike was in the parking lot he couldn't believe it. He walked out and saw the bike and even autographed the gas tank, afterwards he joined me for dinner. And can you believe exactly two years later is when Robert’s Blake girl friend was killed at the very same infamous Studio City Italian restaurant.

I still ride my Harley Davidson around and get asked about Robert Blake’s signature on my Harley, especially by the LAPD motorcycle cops, who I run into at my other favorite Mexican restaurant where I eat menudo every Sunday morning.

I'm surprised no one is picking up on this yet. Whether the City was cheap, Harleys are now crap or both, this is a big deal. We can't have cops riding unsafe bikes and we can't have bikes in the shop all the time.

Where is the Mayor on this issue? This seems like a good PR opp for him especially since they were bought during Hahn's term.

don quixote said... Should have gone with the Honda's, bike riders that forego the Harley mystique and all the "tradition" and baloney that goes along with it (including the old "rice burner" buy USA stuff) know that the Honda's, have always been a superior (and usually cheaper) bike for at least 30 years.

Is there a subject that this guy does not know about.I'm just waiting fot the story that comes with it like how his abulita used to ride with the hells angles and got him his first harly.

So what do we do then? Sell the Harleys and buy Hondas? How much will that cost us?

I highly doubt Zine chose to buy the Harleys. He has two Harleys. He knows what they're all about.They're not about being dependable or safe.

When the CHP chose BMWs, there was a huge article in the Times comparing Harleys to BMWs to Kawasaki. Harleys lost. They were more expensive and had more maintenance issues while having the worst performance. That's why CHP went with BMW. Nice bike that performs great and doesn't have the service issues.

Harleys aren't cheap. They cost a lot more than BMWs Hondas or Kawasaki. Only a few small cities use them as police bikes and generally just for parades.

For the life of me I don't know why in the world any city would pick a Harley over a BMW, Honda or Kawasaki for a police bike. There's got to be more going on. Harleys suck as riders. I've owned four. If I needed to use my motorcycle for work or chasing people, I'd be riding the BMW or Honda.

The person complaining about Zuma sure looks petty. Did you happen to notice the contributed he made to this blog? And it looks as though he does credit Mayor Sam and provides a link. So you must just be out to sling mud hoping no one would check.

Great Story, this reminds me of when my father used to take me to Dodger games on the back of his Harley Davidson chopper. The Dodger Fans thought we were "Hell-Angels" lol, I always loved the sound of the V-Twins engines, and it is unlike that of the rice-burning Japanese bikes. Ah yes, the name of Harley Davidson is synonymous with Americana and such icons as the movie Easy Rider and Electra Guide in Blue.

I know own the very Harley Davidson Electra Guide used in the movie “Electra Guide in Blue” the bike ridden by Robert Blake in the movie. Back in May 1999 I was eating at an Italian restaurant in Studio City, when in walks Robert Blake. I happened to be riding my Harley Davidson Electra Guide from the Robert Blake's movie. When I told Robert Blake the bike was in the parking lot he couldn't believe it. He walked out and saw the bike and even autographed the gas tank, afterwards he joined me for dinner. And can you believe exactly two years later is when Robert’s Blake girl friend was killed at the very same infamous Studio City Italian restaurant.

I still ride my Harley Davidson around and get asked about Robert Blake’s signature on my Harley, especially by the LAPD motorcycle cops, who I run into at my other favorite Mexican restaurant where I eat menudo every Sunday morning.

Harley Davidson Electra Guides Rule !!!

i should have known,the writing style the story telling and than to top it off with the menudo its very clear.

I was glancing at the other bloggers on BNN. Noone of them are homeless losers like Dave. I have deduced that the BNN formula is based on links and posting the same thing over and over again on multiple blogs constantly. That is what Homeless Dave and only Homeless Dave can do. A guy with no job calling talkradio and gaming Google. Get a life Dave - or check into rehab jerk.

It's not a matter of doing well. If I feel something is an important issue, of course I want the most people to be aware of it. I go on TV, I take out Public Access time, call the radio, post on YouTube. And look at the issues I am posting. If I come around here promoting my LIVE appearances or DVDs, etc., then start complaining.

Los Angeles Times - Los Angeles, Calif.Author: JOHN O'DELLDate: Sep 21, 1997Police throughout the West have ridden Kawasaki motorcycles for so long that the brand has become synonymous with law enforcement.

But alarms are sounding at Irvine-based Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA these days as the company, which sells half the police motorcycles used in the country each year, gears up to battle a formidable contender for its police business.

Germany's BMW has been quietly pitching its high-tech, high-cost motorcycle to police departments nationwide, hoping to dethrone Kawasaki and gain some valuable visibility for its civilian two-wheelers.

There were telling defections this summer as the Oregon State Police and the Medford, Ore., municipal police dumped Kawasaki for BMW, even though the German motorcycle costs twice as much. But the big showdown will come in about 18 months, when the nation's largest buyer of police motorcycles, the California Highway Patrol, issues the final findings of a five-year comparison of BMW and Kawasaki machines.

*

More than halfway through the test, which is being closely followed by a number of police agencies, Kawasaki's now-16-year-old law enforcement model is not faring well.

The agency's interim study report, issued this summer, rates the German bike much higher than the Kawasaki in every category--from routine maintenance to rider comfort.

"The Kawasaki is fast, but the new BMWs are faster," said Lt. Jerry Palmer, a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast who commands the Oregon State Police motorcycle unit. "And the BMWs have anti-lock brake systems that nobody else has. There's no comparison when you have to make a panic stop." CHP riders also wax enthusiastic about the BMW's brakes.

The police market isn't big: Of the more than 330,000 motorcycles expected to be sold in the U.S. this year, fewer than 2,500 will be bought by police agencies. And only about 1,000 of the country's 14,000 law enforcement agencies even use motorcycles.

Kawasaki and Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Inc. have shared that market equally for a decade. The Japanese company, which assembles its police motorcycles in a 600-employee plant in Lincoln, Neb., dominates the West, and Harley controls the police market to the east.

Small as it is, though, the police market is important. Law enforcement sales provide visibility and a tacit product endorsement by some of the hardest-riding motorcycle users in the country. Both those factors translate into significant consumer sales.

Although BMW began as a motorcycle maker and sells tens of thousands of them worldwide, its U.S. sales are minuscule. To most consumers in America, a BMW has four wheels, not two.

Its New Jersey-based distributor is pushing hard to persuade agencies to test the bikes, and the company views the CHP's comparison as key to its success. The patrol's 400-motorcycle fleet is the biggest in the nation, and it replaces about 150 bikes a year.

"If the CHP rides BMWs, then many others will follow that lead. They are a bell cow for a lot of departments," said Pat Raymond, director of BMW's police motorcycle operations.

BMW's challenge raises intriguing questions: Will Kawasaki and Harley respond by introducing their own high-tech police bikes? Which of the two companies will suffer if BMW succeeds?

And how can BMW hope to sell its $16,000 R1100 police motorcycle when government agencies almost always must buy from the lowest bidder that can meet basic equipment requirements? Competing Harley-Davidsons sell for about $14,000, and Kaw asaki's KZ1000 police model is now priced at about $7,500.

So far, this much is clear: Kawasaki is the target, and the company is preparing to fight by altering its strategy, dividing the police market into two pieces.

Kawasaki executives bristle at the suggestion that their present police bike is anything less than it should be. But Bob Moffit, Kawasaki's motorcycle marketing vice president, also acknowledges that the company couldn't introduce it today because the bike, last updated in 1982, no longer would meet Kawasaki's own design standards.

Ironically, Kawasaki entered the U.S. market in 1975 as a champion of high-tech, high-performance motorcycles, tackling a then-sleepy Harley-Davidson for a share of the police market to give itself immediate credibility with American motorcycle enthusiasts. The strategy paid off, and Kawasaki, the last of Japan's motorcycle makers to set up shop in the U.S., soon made its product the bike of choice at leading police agencies such as the Los Angeles Police Department and the CHP.

*

The name recognition it garnered as motorists saw police officers from Los Angeles to Atlanta astride high-revving Kawasakis was a big factor in the company's growth from a nonentity into the nation's fourth-largest motorcycle seller, Moffit said.

But the switch to BMWs by the two Oregon departments, as well as interim results of several of the CHP comparison tests now underway are causing concern at Kawasaki.

The company has decided it can best compete by dividing the police market into separate categories, pursuit and municipal, and producing motorcycles for each.

The pursuit market, typified by the CHP, needs a high-power motorcycle with fierce acceleration and precision handling, capable of running all day on the freeway, with enough reserve muscle to hit speeds of 110 mph or more.

High-speed motorcycle pursuits are banned by most municipal departments for safety reasons, so a high-powered bike like Kawasaki's KZ1000 isn't needed. What the city cops want, says John Hoover, Kawasaki's U.S. motorcycle design chief, is a bike for traffic control and parade escort duty.

To serve that market, Kawasaki next year will introduce its first new police motorcycle in two decades. The cruiser-style bike will have big tires, a fat, teardrop-shaped gas tank, flared fenders and lots of chrome. Its 1,500-cc V-twin engine will be strong enough to chase down speeders, but won't match the Kawasaki KZ1000 or the BMW police bike in top speed or acceleration.

The new motorcycle will have liquid cooling, though, to prevent overheating. It will also have a heavy-duty electrical system to support radar and other electronic devices used by traffic police.

Harley, which prides itself on making only gradual changes to its bikes, won't comment on product development, but it is rumored to be developing a police bike with a bigger engine.

Even without a new model, though, Harley appears immune to a serious challenge by BMW.

Many agencies are finding that Harley's year-old police bike, based on its popular Road King touring model, has great reliability, which brings operating costs into line with those of the Kawasaki.

Equally important, Harley has a hard core of uniformed fans every bit as loyal to the brand as the wildest of outlaw bikers. And that's a passion Kawasaki has never been able to ignite.

"They're American motorcycles," says Jorge Jestes, a traffic sergeant with the Sacramento Police Department, which is studying the costs of switching from Kawasakis to Harleys. "And when you are in a formation with about 20 of those babies behind you," Jestes says, "it just sure sounds good."

*

Kawasaki does have badge-wearing fans, but they are decidedly less enthusiastic.

"They get good mileage, they're not too expensive to operate, and there's no competition at the price we pay," says Cmdr. Nathan Thibodeaux, head of the Los Angeles Police Department's motor transport division. "I don't see our use changing as long as Kawasaki remains the least expensive and meets our transportation needs."

But Mike Steer, technical, testing and training officer for the Edmonds, Wash., police motorcycle unit, said Kawasakis "don't stand up so well anymore" when lifetime costs are compared.

So far, BMW is having no problem demonstrating superiority in operating costs over both industry leaders. Among other things, BMWs can go 6,000 miles between regular servicing, twice as far as Kawasakis or Harleys. And BMW provides police with a three-year warranty, compared with one year for the others.

In the recently released interim report on its comparison study, the CHP said the cost gap between the BMW K750s and the Kawasakis that it bought in 1994 is closing quickly as the miles accrue. At 40,000 miles, the CHP's total costs, including recovery of estimated resale value, averaged 1.7 cents a mile for the Kawasaki and 1.9 cents for the BMW.

However, BMW threw comparison testers into a spin last year by switching models--it discontinued the K750 in favor of one based on its larger, more powerful and more expensive R1100 touring model.

CHP officials won't say whether or how they may adjust their study, but other police agencies figure the test will at least establish how well BMW's technology works in the field and how well the company supports its products and honors its warranty.

"A bigger, better BMW won't make the test less valid," said Freddie McDaniel, a motorcycle patrolman with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, which is running its own BMW test.

So far, the CHP's test shows that Kawasakis require far more maintenance and are consistently outclassed by the BMWs in everything from performance and reliability to ride comfort and public reaction.

The BMW bikes "can't be beat," said Santa Ana-based CHP officer Brian Habegger, who spends 10 hours a day on his motorcycle and has logged almost 200,000 miles on Harleys, Kawasakis and now BMWs in his CHP career.

In addition to its safety features and mechanical advances, the BMW also has touches such as electrically heated handgrips and an electronically adjustable wind screen--items police say have proved invaluable for officers who often ride in wet, windy or cold weather.

Price, not performance, is BMW's biggest hurdle, and the company is campaigning to overcome the handicap by arguing that there's a better way to buy than the old low-bid system. Instead of looking merely at the initial purchase price, BMW urges agencies to consider the total cost of owning and operating the machines--including the money to be recovered in the resale market when the bikes' police lives are over.

BMW argues that its motorcycle is no more expensive to own than a Harley or a Kawasaki when its longevity, low maintenance and high resale value are taken into consideration.

The company, as does Harley-Davidson, also offers buyback and time-payment plans that can greatly reduce the overall cost to police.

"It's been slow going to get agencies to adopt the life-cycle approach," BMW's Raymond says. "But we find that if a department that's locked into a low-bid system really wants a BMW, or a Harley-Davidson, instead of a Kawasaki, they find ways to get around it."

Newport Beach traffic division Capt. Mike Blitch, whose department is the first in Southern California to buy BMW's new R1100 police model, said the department was attracted by the anti-lock system and the life-cycle costs.

*

BMW's way may be eased in California by a pair of measures--Senate bills 937 and 1132--that would allow state agencies to use life-cycle information in buying most goods and services. The bills are expected to be considered early next year.

Meanwhile, Kawasaki officials consider a future with a new and aggressive rival and hope their reading of the tea leaves is correct.

Kawasaki has technologically advanced models, Moffit said, "but we can provide them on a police bike only if our customers stand up en masse and demand it. And so far, that hasn't happened."

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Bikes

BMW Harley-Davidson

R1100 RT-P FLHP

KZ1000

Service intervals 3,000 miles Est. resale value $800-1,500

Noteworthy Features

BMW: Built in Germany; very fast; anti-lock brakes; electrically adjustable windshield; heated hand grips; European-style riding position requires rider to lean forward slightly; no foot boards, rider must place feet on side-mounted pegs; liquid-cooled engine permits motorcycle to idle or run at low speeds for long periods without overheating.

Zuma Dogg said... It's not a matter of doing well. If I feel something is an important issue, of course I want the most people to be aware of it. I go on TV, I take out Public Access time, call the radio, post on YouTube. And look at the issues I am posting. If I come around here promoting my LIVE appearances or DVDs, etc., then start complaining.

You're right, Blog Net News ain't a big deal, but I like it because besides feeding my stories into their main page (i already said i like as many people to see these issues) -- it's good for giving you some feedback as to which stories people like more than others, so you know what issues are most important to people. And it's human nature that people like charts and rankers.

I hate them! It makes you do things just to keep the ratings up. I personally, don't wanna fall into a trap of the treadmill of making sure I keep posting to keep the ranking up there. And I glad to say I took two days off from blogging last week (when myspace karaoke came out), and my ranking did suffer.

And I wanted to let people know that my blog was being looked at, cause a lot of people spend time providing me with info -- and no one likes to spend time on a story no one reads.

So bottom line...thanks to search engines and RSS feeds and whatnot...ZD's own blog took off right away and people are seeing the threads.

And for some reason all the threads are going to the top of BNN's ranker.

But I still think this is always the blog people will turn to for the comment section.

But after a couple weeks, I think the word is out about my blog...and people see it ain't dropping off the face of the earth...

and if certain crybabies would stop mentioning my name in a way that causes me to be defensive, hopefully there won't be all this ZD vs Mayor Sam bull sh*t.

I'm not seeing a lot of the issues being posted here, that I think people who read this blog would like to be aware of, so I'm gonna post my updates here, just like the person who copy and pasted that entire LA Times article or people who post articles they want you to see. And I'll comment on a thread if I have something to say/like the issue, like any other anonymous commenter on this blog. Capishe!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Shut up clown. No one cares what you think. I'm blogging about issues that affect the community, and you are blogging about me. Yeah, your advice really matters. Don't worry about my delivery loser, I kinda became a household name in the City during all of it, so maybe you should be listening to me, clown. Constantly telling people how many hits my blog gets makes it seem like a lot of people are reading my blog.

8:16 Harleys vibrate more than regular bikes. Things vibrate loose and off. You need to put lock tite gel on a lot of bolts like pedals/floorboards and especially pipes. I think the LAPD mechanics were just used to working on easy Kawasaki's. Perhaps they didn't receive proper training.